Summer Rolls

Summer rolls or Vietnamese spring rolls are a world apart from the rather more well known Chinese spring rolls. They are light and taste very fresh, owing to the raw vegetables.

Preparation Time:25 minsCooking Time:5 minsYield:4 servings

I first discovered these on a scorching summer evening in Hamburg in 2011. I can't remember what we did that day, but I can remember thinking that we needed something light and cool. We ended up at Loving Hut, which is a short walk away from Gänsemarkt. These went down well, accompanied with a glass of some kind of Vietnamese lemonade that I've never been able to replicate.

Be careful when you buy rice wrappers for this recipe, aim to buy wrappers that are made of a combination of rice and tapioca, they are easiest to work with.

Ingredients

100g
rice noodles

1tsp
sesame oil, raw
(~4.6g)

12
spring roll rice wrapper
(~132g)

1
courgette (zucchini)
(~160g)

80g
mango

4
spring onion (scallion)
(~80g)

½
red, sweet pepper
(~60g)

75g
crunchy peanut butter

5tsp
unrefined caster sugar
(~20g)

50mL
lime juice
(~51g)

30mL
water
(~30g)

Method

Cook the rice noodles according to packet instructions, then quench in cold water, drain and toss in sesame oil.

Wash the courgette, red pepper and spring onion and then julienne (cut into fine strips). The strips should be about 10cm (4") long.

Cut the mango into small strips.

Pour some warm water into a dish or bowl - I prefer a deep plate.

Immerse the rice wrapper for only a couple of seconds, ensuring both sides are wet all over - it will continue to soften after you remove it from water.

Lay the softened rice wrapper out on a clean chopping board and place the strips of vegetables and mango in the centre all parallel to each other.

Put about a tablespoon of cooked noodles onto the wrapper as well.

Fold in the sides of the wrapper and then roll up. The wrappers self seal against themselves.

Repeat until all of the wrappers and vegetables are used.

Make a simple peanut dipping sauce by combining the peanut butter, sugar, lime juice and water.

Serve fresh.

If you find that the rice wrappers are too soft and become difficult to handle, you are immersing them for too long. My favourite brand of wrapper is Blue Dragon.